The Royal Military Academy's Impostor Owns a Dungeon [BL]

Luca actually wanted to purchase a few more S-grade cores, but figured it was better to first ask about their preferences. After all, there were far more choices this time around.

Well, not that twenty was a huge amount, but compared to three? Twenty was practically a feast!

Still, at 500,000 CP each, he couldn’t exactly go picking them like vegetables at a market, could he?

So he would ask them later. For now, he had to concentrate on figuring out how to make weapons from the cores he already bought.

Which, as it turned out, was not as easy as he thought it would be.

Luca only had experience working with mostly A-grade cores and one S-grade core. But none of those had offered this much resistance.

”!!!”

”Host! It’s escaping!” D-29 cried out, its voice high and shrill with shock.

See, this wasn’t obvious when they initially purchased the beast cores because they had gone straight into the dungeon inventory. But now? Now the beast core was floating. Floating away.

”What?!” Luca lunged after it.

He rushed forward, hands outstretched, trying to catch it manually. But to his complete disbelief, the glowing core actually dodged.

It evaded him.

Like some cheeky child playing tag.

”Ah!”

But that wasn’t even the worst part. Because right after it slipped past him, the beast core suddenly vanished.

”!!!”

”Host! There are no other spiritual energy traces! It disappeared!” D-29’s alarmed voice echoed.

”Are you sure?!” Luca’s head snapped around, golden eyes wide.

Did this thing have the ability to teleport? He stretched his senses out, straining, but he hadn’t felt any distortion. No shift in spiritual energy. No warning. So where could the two-million-CP beast core have gone?

Apparently... behind him.

Dead.

Luca would’ve probably died if he had been a split second slower. Because right then, something slammed into his hastily raised barrier with the force of a battering ram.

The barrier cracked. A sharp, splintering sound tore through the air.

”!!!”

When it happened, it was as if his entire world slowed.

His skin prickled as the faintest ripple brushed across the back of his neck. Just a minuscule shift, the kind most would have ignored. If he hadn’t been actively searching for anomalies, he would have missed it. And if he missed it, that would have been the end.

He spun instinctively, spiritual energy flooding out of him as he conjured a shield. The glowing wall flared into being around him, facing the spot where the core had reappeared.

Then came the impact.

The beast core struck like a meteor, its spiritual pressure howling against his hastily formed barrier. Cracks spiderwebbed instantly across the surface, lines of light racing outward like the glass of a shattered window.

Luca’s heart hammered, but his eyes burned with focus.

”!!!”

He forced the cracked barrier to collapse, redirecting the fragments into a new lattice. In that split second, he reached out and caught the beast core with both hands, spiritual energy wrapping around his hands as he shoved it back into the dungeon inventory.

The glow winked out. Silence fell.

Only the faint sound of his own heavy breathing remained.

The surprised mechanic fell to the floor, the ground around him now littered with scattered materials that had gone flying from the impact.

Luca’s mind raced, his heart thumped like it was trying to escape his chest. That was far too close!

”Host! Are you alright?” D-29’s worried voice pinged in his head. ”I checked and scanned your health and detected an elevated heart rate, but no physical injuries!”

”Y-yes,” Luca breathed, pressing a hand over his chest. ”I think I’m okay. Just startled. But clearly, we can’t just handle high-grade beast cores the same way as the others. The question is, how do we deal with something like that?”

Apparently, he was about to find out, because a blur of robes came storming in.

The elders had flown straight to the hangar.

”Lord Luca! Are we under attack—?” Elder Shen burst out, only to skid to a halt at the sight of their Young Lord sitting on the floor like a guilty child, surrounded by the chaos of toppled boxes and scattered tools.

”!!!”

The elders looked around sharply, scanning every corner of the hangar for the offender. The sheer wariness in their eyes would have made even specters flee.

”N-no! Elder Shen, it’s alright now, I think?” Luca stammered, hands up as though he’d been caught sneaking cookies.

”What?!” Elder Pao Xi frowned, face pale. ”Alright now? Young Lord, for a split second, we felt an overwhelming surge of spiritual energy centered here. What was that?”

”Yes! I even ran with wet hair in my surprise!” Elder Feng barked, pointing at his dripping locks like they were proof of war crimes.

Luca blinked at him, touched despite the panic. Truly, the elders cared. And thankfully, by now, everyone had gotten more used to dealing with three identical faces—though their differing heights were still the only thing keeping them apart.

Elder Wei hurried forward and helped Luca up. Luca muttered a thank-you, cheeks burning with embarrassment as he realized he had been sitting there on the ground since earlier like a defeated child.

”So what happened, Lord Luca?” Elder Wei asked, eyes sweeping the normally organized chaos of the hangar. Something had clearly gone wrong.

Contrary to their expectations—like a misfired weapon or an accidental detonation—they were shocked to learn the truth.

That Luca had attempted to take out an SS-grade beast core as is.

”Ah! That explains it!” Elder Shen declared as if it were the most ordinary revelation in the world.

”Huh?” Luca blinked. ”Elders, is it normal for the core to fight back? I was so surprised—it tried to attack me!”

The elders nodded gravely, and Luca realized instantly that he had underestimated them by taking such a thing lightly.

”Yes, Lord,” Elder Shen explained. ”Cores are much like the hearts of cultivators. But especially for those who have passed, the core does not only carry the heart—it contains the will of the being. That is why cores of a certain rank begin exerting their wills.”

”What?!” Luca’s eyes widened. ”So, Elder Shen, does that mean it’s impossible to use higher-grade cores because they won’t allow themselves to be used?”

Luca’s heart sank. He didn’t want to force anyone against their will—especially not the dead.

But Elder Pao Xi quickly shook his head. ”No, not in the way you’re thinking. It is not resistance born of defiance. It is instinct. The instinct to protect itself from destruction. It will not succumb to anyone weaker than itself.”

”Anything weaker...?” Luca repeated carefully.

”Yes, Lord,” Elder Feng added. ”To fully utilize such cores, you must prove your worth. Only then will they accept you.”

”Elder Feng... is it like this with all the higher-order beast cores?” Luca asked nervously.

”Mostly,” Elder Feng confirmed. ”There may be exceptions, but yes, most cores carry the will of their beasts. Thankfully, that thing you call inventory seems to be an ideal storage. A safe place that can contain them.”

Elder Wei crossed his arms thoughtfully. ”I wonder how much spiritual energy it requires to handle such cores. For something to so easily hold them...”

”Regardless,” Elder Shen cut in, ”Young Lord, you must envelop the core with stronger spiritual energy to assert control. Continue reminding the core who the master is.”

”Huh? But is that alright? Isn’t it disrespectful?” Luca asked earnestly.

”No.” Elder Feng’s eyes softened. ”Even cores have pride. They do not want their legacies wasted. They resist because they want to be certain. There is greater honor in knowing they went to worthy hands, even in death.”

”Oh...” Luca whispered, struck by the thought.

He thought hard, then bowed slightly, thanking the elders.

”Host, have you thought of a way to deal with this?” D-29 asked curiously.

”Hmmm... yes. I think so,” Luca answered, his golden eyes gleaming. ”I’ll try what the elders said.”

”So what will you do, Host? Should we prepare a container?”

Luca shook his head firmly. ”No. I think the best way is to respect the opponent, just as they’re respecting me.”

”Respect?” D-29’s processes churned, confused. It couldn’t quite grasp what the host meant.

”Yes!” Luca’s voice rang with fiery determination. His eyes blazed, and his small frame straightened with surprising might. ”To fight with all my strength is the way to show respect to my opponent!”

And it sure was.

It was just that...

Perhaps there was no need to fight with all his strength.

In fact, it might be advisable not to.